Vegan and environmental activist Woody Harrelson is always doing what he can to help the planet. He lives on a sustainable farm in Hawaii, travels to work in an eco-friendly bus, and really, really wants to save some trees.

For decades, Harrelson has been concerned about the vast number of trees toppled by the paper industry. It started back in 1992, when he teamed up with Peter Bahouth of Greenpeace and other environmentalists to fight a bill that would have made millions of acres of wilderness in Montana available to loggers. Even though they were successful in their fight, Harrelson realized that stopping the logging in Montana didn’t really solve the problem.

He thought, “Geez, even if you do stop the deforestation here or there, the timber industry just goes somewhere else. You really need to change systems.”

So, naturally, Harrelson embarked on a journey to create wood-free paper. In the late 90s, he partnered with Canadian entrepreneur Jeff Golfman to figure out how to make that happen. They co-founded a company, Prairie Pulp and Paper, and over 15 years, managed to create a product which is composed of 80 percent wheat straw waste.

Back in 2010, Prairie Pulp and Paper’s chlorine and tree-free paper hit shelves in a prototype run. The prototype was successful: It was found to have the least amount of environmental impact among North American copy papers, including 100% recycled paper, and Harrelson started talking about building a plant. Last fall, he said, “When we build a plant there in Manitoba, it’s going to be 100 percent wood free. . . really from agricultural waste.”

The plan is still moving forward. That first product, Step Forward Paper, is available in more than 300 Staples stores across North America, and Harrelson wants to open multiple manufacturing plants within the next few years to expand production and availability.

“This is a paradigm shift. To make this paper from non-wood, if you think about it, every year [timber companies are] cutting down anywhere from 3 to 6 billion trees. Half of that’s going to paper. It’s unsustainable,” he said. “Right now, we’re using 400 million metric tons of paper worldwide. In 15-20 years, that’s going to double. Paper consumption is actually growing in spite of everyone talking about the paperless office. It’s very important that we shift. The forests are the lungs of the world. I’ve always believed if you breathe, you’re an environmentalist.”

He believes that everyone should do what they can to reduce their environmental footprints, and wood-free paper is a great way to make that accessible to the masses.

“Some people are so busy with just trying to put food on the table, they don’t have time to worry about environmental needs. There are a lot of people in Hollywood who don’t have to worry about putting food on the table. They can take a moment and fight for ecological things that they care about. Again, it’s a luxury to be able to do that sometimes,” he said.

“In this case, we’re talking about making paper that’s the same price as recycled paper, but the content is 80 percent non-wood. So for people who are interested in it, it’s not like we’re asking them to pay more. Ultimately, our plan within three to five years is to have the first non-wood pulp and paper mill in North America up in Winnipeg, [Manitoba]. The source of that is mostly wheat straw which is in abundance after the farmers have already used it for food and also for the health of the soil. There’s a vast amount that’s left over and available. We could have five mills up there. And it’s going to happen.”

Check out the video below to hear Woody talk about his paper product.

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About China DeSpain

China DeSpain is a San Antonio-based writer and blogger. She loves pop culture, animal rights, health and fitness, international travel, books and wigs. Follow China on Twitter: @ChinaDeSpain

Glad to see this happen. I’m a bit curious though, why Woody isn’t pushing for paper made from Industrial Hemp. Sustainable, gives farmers another cash crop and makes a better product.

John Schafer

While I am all for better use of waste products such as wheat straw, what people need to realize is that a vast majority of paper made in the
US comes from forests which are managed by landowners who are getting a
return on their investment. And they are following environmentally
sound practices (google Forest Stewardship Council and check out all the
papers that are made from trees coming from FSC certified forests).
So, the forests are maintained because the landowner can make an income
by harvesting the trees, but then replanting to replace the harvested
trees. Once the landowner cannot make an income from the trees
(forests), then the landowner, as any good business person would do,
will search out alternative uses of the land to generate an income. What lands are currently forests today will most likely become re-purposed to other income generating purposes, such as farming, mining, drilling, or other
development. The vast majority of these new uses would involve removing the
trees, without replacing them. So by “Saving Trees”, we are actually
condemning the forests. A classic story of unintended consequences.
People should do a little research & thinking things through before
they blindly support a venture such as this one.